To find a gene that confers ionic liquid resistance in bacteria, environmental samples of bacteria were taken from a high salt environment in the FarallonIslands. The bacteria were grown on different media that contained either 1‐Ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride (EMiM‐Cl) or 1‐Ethyl‐3‐ methylimidazolium acetate (EMiM‐Ac) to determine which bacteria should be used to create a genomic library to screen for genes conferring ionic liquid resistance. Bacterial isolates IL 210, IL 15, CX32 AND CX 38 grow on media containing EMiM‐Cl as well as media containing EMiM‐Ac and are recommended for the creation of a gene library.